Carolyn Ferrell

The Madisonville City Council unanimously approved a $70,000 loan to the Hopkins County-Madisonville Library renovation project Monday night.

If accepted by the library board, the low-interest loan from the city would be used towards paying off the remaining $69,000 of the prevailing wage judgment issued by the Kentucky Labor Cabinet in May.

A Hopkins County-Madisonville Public Library board member says Christmas has come early in the form of a $500,000 dollar fiscal court allocation for the library’s new facility.

Library board president Carolyn Ferrell says the board reviewed the court's plan this morning and voted to request the funding the court had made available for them. She says, for now, the board will pay the county back with interest it draws annually from its endowment.

The Hopkins County-Madisonville Library is one step closer to resuming renovation on its new location after making a $28,000 dollar payment on its nearly $100,000 prevailing wage judgment.

When construction on the library’s new home began, Library Board President Carolyn Ferrell said the board misunderstood the prevailing wage requirements, which apply to public projects with budgets larger than $250,000.

Ferrell said board and library foundation members met with Jerald Adkins with the Kentucky Labor Cabinet in Frankfort last week to discuss payment options for the rest of the bill.